Ho Chi Minh City will extend social distancing under Directive 16 for another 14 days. The local authorities have called for local residents to "stay where one is" and people from other provinces to stay in the city where they will be fully taken care of, including vaccinations against Covid-19.

In recent days, under pressure of workers massively leaving the city to return to their hometowns to avoid the epidemic, HCM City leaders have urged them to stay.

At a recent meeting, HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen asked districts to review and compile statistics to take measures to assist these people to stay in the city.

Nen said that for those who wanted to return to their hometown, relevant agencies must have specific plans to help them. Specific lists of people must be made and handed over to the host localities. He called for people to cooperate with the authorities, and not to travel freely to prevent the spread of pandemic.

HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen.

HCM City Deputy Party Secretary Phan Van Mai told VietNamNet that the city wished that people would stay and the city would try to take good care of them.

“If they stay, in addition to taking good care of their material life, the city will also give them vaccinations, so that if they return to their hometown, it will be less pressure for the locality in epidemic prevention,” he said.

According to Mr. Nen, drastic measures applied recently have been effective to help the city basically control new infections. The proof is that most of the new infection cases are found in isolated areas.

With the goal of limiting the mortality rate, he asked agencies to focus on treatment for covid-19 patients.

A vaccination site in HCM City.

The original lockdown order for the entire southern region with a population of about 35 million people, effective since July 19, was set to expire on August 1 but the fourth-wave COVID-19 outbreak has shown no signs of letting up.

HCM City along with 18 southern provinces and cities, thus, will continue to enforce lockdown measures in line with the Government’s Directive 16 for two more weeks, per a dispatch issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 31.

The Prime Minister wants all localities under Directive 16 – which includes measures like the closure of all non-essential businesses, leaving home only for essential goods and services, and suspension of public transport – to strictly abide by the rules and stand ready to roll out more stringent measures if necessary.

Ho Van

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